In Antibiotic Resistance

Welcome

The 2nd International Caparica Conference in Antibiotic Resistance brought together researchers, academics, medical professionals and students working on antimicrobial resistance. The scientific focus covered the selection factors that drive resistance in human and veterinary medicine, together with the mechanisms, diagnostics and applied approaches reported across the sessions.

The meeting was held from 12th to 15th June 2017 at ALDEIA DOS CAPUCHOS GOLF & SPA, in the village of Caparica, a short trip from Lisbon and close to the Atlantic beaches. Keynotes, oral contributions and poster sessions ran across the four days, and the local organizing team from UCIBIO-REQUIMTE and FCT – University NOVA of Lisbon coordinated the meeting.

Conference material remains organized under the sections below: the scientific program and keynote speakers, the oral contributions, the registration and fee structure, the venue and travel information, and the local organizing committee.

The 2nd International Caparica Conference in Antibiotic Resistance was held from 12th to 15th June 2017 at the Aldeia dos Capuchos Golf & Spa in Caparica, a short journey from Lisbon and close to the Atlantic beaches of the Portuguese coast. The event gathered researchers, academics, medical professionals and students around a single shared theme: the global emergence of antimicrobial resistance and the many ways it is now understood, measured and addressed.

The scientific focus of the meeting covered the selection factors that drive resistance in both human and veterinary medicine, examining how antibiotic use in one setting influences outcomes in the other. Sessions addressed the mechanisms underlying resistance, the spread of resistant bacteria and resistance genes across environments, and the diagnostic tools used to detect problematic pathogens in clinical and laboratory practice.

Contributions were delivered in a range of formats, including plenary lectures, keynote addresses, oral presentations, poster sessions and poster spotlight sessions, allowing both established investigators and early-career researchers to share their work. The programme was designed so that epidemiological findings, proteomic approaches, surveillance data and applied control strategies could be discussed together, encouraging exchange between laboratory, clinical and public health perspectives.

A central concern running through the conference was the major worldwide threat posed by resistant infections, and the need for new antibiotic development alongside better stewardship of existing drugs. Participants considered the policies and surveillance programmes in place in different countries, the role of food safety and environmental spread, and the contributions of the pharmaceutical and scientific communities to overcoming a problem that continues to grow in importance.

The event brought together specialists from university departments, clinical microbiology laboratories, public health bodies and industry, with an international scientific and organising committee shaping the programme. Invited speakers addressed the topics of antimicrobial drug discovery, mechanisms of resistance and the wider social and policy questions that surround the control of resistant pathogens, offering perspectives drawn from different national health systems and research traditions.

Around the sessions, attendees had the opportunity to review poster displays, take part in exhibition activity and engage in informal discussion over meals and social events, many of which were arranged to encourage direct conversation between participants. The conference venue, set within a golf and spa property near the village of Caparica, provided the meeting space, internet access and booking arrangements needed for a comfortable four-day gathering of an international audience.

The conference aimed to stimulate research and cooperation in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, and to expose participants to new methodologies and approaches for understanding resistance in bacteria, fungi and other pathogens. By combining scientific sessions with structured networking, it sought to build lasting connections among researchers, clinicians and students, and to strengthen the shared commitment to discovering and developing strategies that help overcome resistance worldwide.